Disaster relief helicopter crashes in Malaysia

A Malaysian police helicopter carrying aid to flood evacuees in the northeast has crashed, injuring four crew members.

The helicopter was completely destroyed.

The accident occurred on the afternoon of December 31, when the plane dropped relief supplies in Tanah Merah province, the most severely affected area in Kelantan state, bordering Thailand.

Provincial police chief Mazlan Lazim said all the rescue workers on board were injured and hospitalized after the accident. He stressed that despite the incident, air relief operations would continue as many roads leading to the province had been damaged by the rains and floods.

Flooding scene in Malaysia on December 26. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

This part of Malaysia regularly floods during the annual rainy season from November to March, but the storms in 2014 were unprecedented, causing the worst flooding in decades. The states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang were the worst affected. At least 21 people died, an estimated 167,000 were forced to flee their homes, and many roads and bridges were damaged. Floodwaters have now begun to recede in many areas, with local authorities still on alert for the risk of disease outbreaks.

According to News